Defend your faith: For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge

Our Lord Jesus explained to us in the gospels that faith alone does not lead us to blessedness, when spirituality becomes a mask, problems are assured because the works of the flesh are manifested, destructiveness hidden beneath appearances has consequences: "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissension, factions and envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like" Galatians 5:19-21.
And we see an example of this teaching in the Book of Acts when Ananias and Sapphira try to deceive the apostles by hiding part of the money that came from the sale of a property but that had to be available to the apostles, this serious sin led to the death of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11).
That is why the New Testament emphasizes the importance of the fear of God (constancy, firmness, devotion) and the works of mercy (compassion, kindness, gentleness), so that our faith can bear the fruits of life. Jesus asks us to defend the faith with determination. We live in times where the only logic seems to be the exacerbated selfishness, that's why faith is a great challenge, but if we join faith with good works, faith leads us to the contemplative life, which is eternal life. The reward for good deeds is not only in the future life, it is also in this life, and it is for this reward that we have to work every day, Jesus said: "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" Luke 6:36.
The apostle Peter in his second epistle on this subject adds:
"For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" 2 Peter 1:5-8.

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